2 Great Days on the Bay

I had the opportunity to fish with Mike Epperly and his crew over the past 2 days.

During their trip, there was a lot of rod bending going on.

We managed to land 8 cobia over the 2 past trips, 4 of which were legal to keep along with numerous cow nosed rays.  

This morning, we were fortunate to land our limit of 3 Cobia between 40" - 51" by 10:30.  We then went trolling for some bluefish to top off the fish box.

Thanks again Mike for putting this trip together.  I really enjoyed spending time with all of you guys & I look forward to fishing with all of you again this fall.

Be sure to give me a call at 804-436-3241 or Email southerntideguideservice@gmail.com to book your date with these exceptional fish.

Great Saturday of Fishing

I would like to thank the group of people who Chartered my boat for yesterday and didn't have the courtesy to show up to fish this morning!  Because of you, I spent money on fuel and bait and my time getting ready to fish today.  But on the good side, today wasn't a total loss as I was able to spend  time fishing with my family which is always fun.

Today was one of the prettiest days that we have had this year

 

 

 By the end of the day, we had caught and released 4 cobia and numerous large skates.
Give me a call 804-436-3241 or email me at southerntideguideservice@gmail.com to schedule your date to do battle with these great fish.  

Cobia are Here

My family & I spent our 4th of July out on the Bay fishing for Cobia.  It was a beautiful day & we had some great action.

By the end of the day, we had 5 Cobia, but unfortunately they were all short & had to be returned to the water to grow.  

As you can see with the way those rods are bent, these fish put up one heck of a fight. If all goes well, the Cobia fishing should continue to improve during the next few weeks, and there are reports of bluefish and mackerel showing up in our area more and more every day.  

There are still some open dates on my calendar. Give me a call at 804-436-3241 or email me at southerntideguideservice@gmail.com to get on my schedule.   

Steve Smith Trip

I had the opportunity to fish with Steve Smith and his group from Romney, WV today.  

As we left the creek and headed out to the Bay, I was pleasantly surprised with the prettiest day that I have fished all spring.

Finally, we had a day that wasn't either blowing or raining.

We initially set up in shallow water hoping that there any be a Cobia hanging around, but after a couple hours we only had a large skate to show for our efforts.

After pulling the anchor, swapping out the tackle and heading off shore a few miles, I managed to stumble on a good school of bluefish.  Over the next few hours, we managed to land a nice pile of fish.

Thanks again guys for fishing with me, I hope to do it again soon.

I still have some prime weekend dates available this summer.  As temperatures continue to rise, the quality of fishing should continue to improve.  Be sure to give me a call 804-436-3241 to book your date.  

Randolph-Macon Anglers Club

Grant & I had the pleasure of fishing with Nathan Altaffer and the rest of the R-MC Anglers Club.

Since we were still in the Spring Trophy Rockfish Season and 35" Striped Bass are as scarce as chicken lips, I decided to change things up.  Rather than trolling, I decided to set up a chum line and use light tackle.

Shortly after getting set up we started getting bites and managed to land some rockfish that would be legal on the next day.

Luckily we were also able to catch a few 1-3 lb bluefish to go along with their rockfish releases.  

Thanks guys for fishing with me again this year!  Good luck in the "real world" after graduation next week.  

Mixed Report

After 3 months of anticipation for the start of the 2017 Trophy Striped Bass Season, the results have unfortunately been less than stellar.  I believe that due to the warm weather that we had during February, the spring spawn happened earlier than normal, and the majority of the fish that we target during the trophy season left the bay before our season opened.  The good news is that smaller rock fish are showing up now and we can start keeping 20" fish starting 4/16. 

With regard to good news, bluefish in the 1-3 pound range are starting to show up already, and there are reports of big (8-13 lb) fish being caught locally in pound nets during the last week.  This is very exciting news because this size fish have not been in the bay since the late 1980s and any of you who fished during that time will never forget how much fun they are to catch.  These fish give the best fight of any fish pound for pound and I can't wait to have a chance to go out after them very soon.  Furthermore, reports from my sources tell me that the Cobia have already started their migration north and are being caught in the vicinity of Oregon Inlet now.  At this rate, these fish should be showing up here by June.  Luckily for this year, Virginia has increased the daily limit to 3 fish per day and extended the season into September.

I still have some weekend dates available during mid June, July & August. This is prime time to get in on the action for Cobia, Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish & Red Drum.  If all goes well, we are in for a great summer season and I can't wait to see what it brings us.  

Now is a great time to plan your summer fishing trip since the warm months of June, July and August will be here before you know it.  Feel free to call me at 804-436-3241 any time to book your date.  

Let's go fishing soon!

Capt. Joe

Spring Fever!

Spring Time Bass!

I don't know about the rest of you, but having +70 degree weather for the past 2 weeks in February has given me one heck of a case of spring fever!  While winter isn't over yet, it sure seems like spring is winning the battle right now.  Everything is pointing to an early spring this year as the the turkeys are strutting, my grass is growing, the bay is full of bait and there have been numerous reports from catch and release fishermen saying that the bay is full of big bass too!  I guess that ground hog was wrong again.

While we have to wait a few more weeks to catch and keep these fish, I have a good feeling that we are in for a good spring trophy season.

I only have a few more open dates available during the trophy season, so if you are considering making a trip for spring trophy rock fish please give me a call soon.  804-436-3241 or southerntideguideservice@gmail.com. Come and get some of these!